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Phantoms Chapter
The Phantoms Chapter are the replacement for a Space Marine Chapter originally named the Nether Host, founded during the 23rd Founding, also known as the "Sentinel Founding", and as such are known to be battle-hardened warriors. The Phantoms are named in homage to the destruction of the Nether Host, especially those murdered at the hands of their bitter enemies the Scourge Knights. The Chapter's doctrine is largely based around close combat and destructive capabilities, utilising a large number of Assault Marines, Assault Terminators and heavily armed & armoured Dreadnaughts. The Nether Host came close to destruction shortly after their founding after the Chief Librarian, Sa'vael Ra, fell to the tempting whispers of power of the Chaos God of Change, Tzeentch which resulted in a civil war within the chapter that split them into two separate forces - The loyalist Phantoms Chapter who were saved due to the timely aid of the Storm Crusaders, and the Chaos Warband dubbed "Scourge Knights", the latter of which are still lead by the surviving Sa'vael, first a Sorcerer-Lord of Tzeentch and then Daemon Prince, whom now seeks bitter vengeance against Chapter Master Malevos. To this day, within the Chapter, Librarians have been noted with extreme caution, in memory of the damage that Sa'vael caused from his fall to Chaos. Yet they still make use of Librarians that are accepted only after a considerably lengthy assessment and are placed under constant surveillance. Organisation The Chapter generally adheres to the Codex Astartes, however they have been known to organise themselves to suit their needs in similar fashion to the Dark Angels Chapter. Whilst the Chapter does retain 10 Companies ranging from the Elite 1st Company Honour Guard to 10th Company Scouts, each Company is trained to specialise in a particular tactic or battlefield environment - For example, the 4th 'Wraith' Assault Marine Company, specialises in the systematic elimination of entrenched enemy positions in difficult terrain by a combination of Assault Marine Jumps and Scouts pulled from the 10th Company to sabotage positions. This combination allows the sabotaged positions to weaken the enemy via the detonation of portable explosives before being finished off with relative ease by the vicious strikes of the Assault Marines' weapons. The Chapter are loathe to make use of Librarians due to their vulnerability to the Warp and Daemonic Influence, as demonstrated when former Chief Librarian Sa'vael Ra fell prey to the promises of power from the Chaos God of Change and Sorcery; Tzeentch. However Psykers, in the form of Librarians, are still accepted into the Chapter, but are placed under constant surveillance via Skull Probe when deployed to watch for any signs of potential corruption. A second result of the betrayal, was the increase in the number of Chaplains recruited into the Chapter, far outnumbering that of the Librarians. To compensate for the lack of psychic support, these excess Chaplains are outfitted extensively with Jump Packs, improved bolters and or bolt guns and other experimental weaponry developed by the Chapter's Techmarines. Companies of the Chapter The Companies that are used by the Phantoms are heavy on close-quarters combat and assault-based attacks. The best of these melee companies is the 4th Assault Company, known as the "Wraith Company", utilising a vicious approach to combat - They will often use small groups of Marines to draw out enemy forces and attempt to lead them into a greater concentration of allied forces, thereby slowly whittling down the enemy's strength. The Phantoms have also formed a Heavy Weapons / Devastator Company: the 5th "Revenant" Company, a company specialising in Dreadnaught deployment with Devastator support, making them a formidable and destructive fighting force. The company have been seen to completely obliterate enemy positions and cause a large amount of collateral damage when deployed, often very few of the enemy are able to escape, and sometimes none at all. A result of their destructive ability has earned them the name "Revenants", fitting for the metaphorical sense in which Dreadnaughts are the fallen Warriors of the Emperor brought back to serve again. Standard Phantoms Company arrangements are as follows: Note: All squad numbers are under the assumption of the Chapter possessing 1,000 marines. 1st Company - Spectre Company: Veterans of the Chapter, consisted of a combination of Veteran marines and Terminators. Consists of 8 Terminator Squads, 6 Veteran Marine Squads (2 Tactical Veterans, 4 Assault Veterans). 2nd Company - Shadow Company: Specialised in ambush and stealth tactics, usually makes use of some form of cloak to hide their position until combat begins. This is the only Company noted to have made use of bikes for transportation. Consists of 5 "Sniper Tactical" (Tactical Marines outfitted with Stalker Bolters), 3 standard Tactical, 2 Assault. 3rd Company - Ghoul Company: Ranged Infantry Specialists, consists of 7 Tactical squads, 3 Devastator squads. 4th Company - Wraith Company: Elite assault company, lead by Ivaras Trelemann, deployed in combination with the Stalker Company for the latter to sabotage positions and the 4th to finish them off. Marked at MIA after the Abruptia Crusade. Squads consist of 6 Assault, 4 Tactical. 5th Company - Revenant Company: Specialised Devastator + Dreadnought company, usually deployed to deal with heavily entrenched enemy positions or high numbers of armoured units. Squads consist of 5 Devastator, 3 Tactical, 1 Assault. The Company has the Dreadnought Chaplain Athenus attached to it, affording the company near-unbreakable morale in battle. 6th Company - Gargoyle Company: Reserve Assault Company, lead by Talon-Captain Dereval, consists of 4 Assault Squads, 4 Tactical Squads, 2 Devastator Squads 7th Company - Vampire Company: Reserve Assault Company, consists of 4 Assault Squads, 4 Tactical Squads, 2 Devastator Squads 8th Company - Banshee Company: Reserve Tactical Company, standard arrangement of 6 Tactical, 4 Assault, 2 Devastator 9th Company - Shade Company: Reserve Devastator Company, consists of 4 Tactical, 2 Assault, 4 Devastator 10th Company - Geist Company, Scouts. Mechanized Forces Whilst the Phantoms Chapter retain Mechanized support, they rarely deploy it - Save for the 5th Company. The Chapter's focus on lightning strike and defeat in detail eliminate the need for deploying heavy armour. Focusing mainly on Land speeders (Varying in type, Storm, Tempest etc.) for scouting enemy positions and exploiting weak points. However, the Chapter has been known to deploy Whirlwind Artillery as an alternative to Scout sabotage and Vindicator Laser Destroyers should the enemy have numerous armoured units. The deployment of the Chapter's armour usually occurs with the 5th Revenant Company's deployment or that of the 9th Shade Company. The Dreadnoughts that are deployed with the 5th Company will often vary, typically making use of a standard Assault model, Hellfire or Mortis variants. History Origins of the Chapter It is unknown precisely which chapter the Nether Host, prior to becoming the Phantoms Chapter, succeeded. Imperial records hold little information beyond the possibilities that they are descended from either the Dark Angels or Raven Guard, based on their somewhat darker nature. However there is no known report of Vemeras being part of the Dark Angels' inner circle, which would strain the theory they are descended from them. However the supporting evidence would be the structure in which the Chapter is organised, similar to the Deathwing and Ravenwing company concepts, however this may be a coincidence. The White Scars have also been implied as being the predecessor Chapter based on their speciality in close combat and lightning strike tactics, and being highly mobile. This is further supported by similar approaches to combat in which the Phantoms are regarded as savages during battle. Defence of Industralia The first recorded sighting of this Chapter was during an invasion of the Forgeworld Industralia by a Greenskin Horde under the leadership of Warboss Throatcrusha. The Orks were able to break the fleet that guarded the planet, however any attempt they made to make a significant impact with their ground forces were nullified near-instantly. Throatcrusha was both furious and confused as to why his attacks were not working. Little did the Warboss know that the Nether Host had been deployed in secret to defend the Forgeworld's assets, making use of lightning strike and hit-and-run tactics to whittle the Ork numbers down before they proved too great a threat for the PDF. It was only when the Ork Horde was beginning to crumble that the Nether Host revealed themselves in open melee combat to the enemy, which prompted Throatcrusha to personally lead his forces - Which the Marines counted on him doing. Chapter Master Vemeras Malevos himself was leading the Adeptus defence of the planet. Upon coming face to face with the Warboss, Vemeras declared a duel with the Ork, which the latter happily obliged with, the larger Ork's hubris playing into Vemeras' plan. During the duel, the Nether Host gained the correct impression that their Chapter Master was merely toying with the Ork, the latter's clumsy and cumbersome attacks were easily evaded by the Marine. This was a tactic used to make the Ork Horde doubt their Warboss' ability and instigate infighting among the Ork chieftains. Eventually, the Ork met his end when Vemeras was able to use his power sword to decapitate the Ork. The death of the Warboss allowed the Chapter Master's plan to come into effect - Ork Chieftains saw the opportunity to lead and this soon enough lead to the Horde imploding in on itself, whilst the Marines dealt with the remnants. It was during this time that the Chapter Master's victory gave birth to two of the Chapter's traditions. The first occurred when he removed the massive Powerklaw from the dead Warboss' right arm, covered with the xeno's own lifeblood, causing all future Marines to have their right gauntlet painted red in remembrance of the Chapter's first known victory. The second tradition spawned from this would be that after every victory, every fallen enemy officer would be relieved of their right forearm and would be kept by the leader of that unit. This caused frequent competition between Company Captains that would tally how many arms would be taken by their company. Mission to Skylus V In the centuries of M38, three millennia before the uprisings in Segmentum Pacificus, the Nether Host were dispatched to investigate disturbances in civilian settlements. The expedition was lead by Chief Librarian Sa'vael Ra and Veteran Assault Terminator Sergeant Felemoore and his 1st Company Veteran Terminators dubbed the "Spectre Company". The Spectre Company were a largely feared unit of terminator Veterans, and as such their deployments were of utmost importance, being the Elite of the chapter. Sa'vael had felt a disturbance between the walls of reality and the warp within the Pacificus rim, fearing the risk of a Chaos incursion, he took the Company with him to quickly deal with the threat before it could spread. Upon arriving on the ice world of Skylus V, Sa'vael immediately felt the presence of the Warp several kilometres away from their landing site. Yet the city in which they landed -named Lanscar- seemed unharmed. Despite being an Imperial world however, the population were stricken with rampant disease and poverty whilst the Imperial Governor and PDF seemed to revel in riches. The pity for the civilians that Sa'vael felt -and the hatred for the Governor- would lead to his unwitting downfall. The Company made their way out of Lanscar and into an Icy Tundra, where they encountered almost nothing, save for the occasional abandoned convoy, civilians that had been stranded and froze to death in the harsh environment. For several hours the mission seemed pointless, until they came upon a simple archway that seemed to lead down into the earth. Sa'vael felt that this is where the warp disturbance had originated. Sergeant Felemoore lead the group inside, and what they encountered would soon change the fate of everyone in the room. They saw that several of Lanscar's PDF had captured many civilians and taken them here. Committing inhumane atrocities, using them for sadistic torture, entertainment, sport, rape, and slaves. The fury that Sa'vael felt in that instant, made him order his forces to engage the corrupt PDF. The fragile Guardsman stood no chance against the Terminator Onslaught and Sa'vael's Psychic might. Bodies were smashed, broken and set alight. After the slaughter of the corrupt PDF, Sa'vael inspected the room, documenting everything he would need to provide proof of the planet's corruption. What he didn't expect to find however, was a tome set on a pedestal. It was crude, made of and bound by the flesh of the PDF's victims. The tome contained the names of the PDF and other officials who all seemed to be part of the sadistic proceedings. Immediately the Librarian recognised the eight-pointed star of Chaos carved into the cover of the tome. Whilst hesitant to use it, the tome seemed to call to the Psyker and his company, they knew with this proof they could contact the inquisition, or even deal with the corruption then and there, just this once. With that thought, Sa'vael and the Terminators began their dark path down to corruption. Liberation and Downfall at Skylus V Having obtained the flesh tome, Sa'vael and the Terminator company had set to return to the Governor's Palace. Knowing that the book bore the mark of Chaos, they could never use it as legitimate proof of the Governor's involvement, instead acting upon the knowledge without approval of the Inquisition to deal with the Governor. What Sa'vael was unaware of however, is that those they had killed in the underground conclave, were not PDF soldiers - They were Tzeentch-dedicated Cultists that had disguised themselves, as part of the one of the innumerable schemes the Changer of Ways had put in motion. Unaware of his imminent downfall, Sa'vael and Felemoore, along with their Terminator escort, stormed the palace and began their assault. Many of those killed were taken by surprise - Loyal guardsman unaware of the Chaos cult that had manipulated the Marines to slaughter warriors of the Emperor, were broken and unable to defend themselves. It is said that Sa'vael himself confronted the confused and terrified Governor, who pleaded for his life, explaining he did not know of any corruption taking place - Yet the fury-engulfed Sa'vael ignored his pleas and set him ablaze. What precisely happened after the Governor's death is unknown to anyone but the expedition members present, yet upon leaving the throne room - The Librarian began to hear whispers, promises of power with which he could use to change all the wrong that is done within the Imperium. However, being the Chief Librarian, he was able to push out these whispers... for now. Sa'vael's Fall and Civil War The expedition to Skylus V greatly shook Sa'vael and the Terminator escort. They searched the security monitors for proof of the PDF's corruption. What they discovered instead, was that the PDF and the Governor were innocent - The corrupt Guardsman they encountered had in fact been cultists. With this in mind, Sa'vael and Felemoore feared an investigation by the Inquisition of a possible lead of heresy among the Chapter's Elite. They both feared that the Chapter Master would report them both for the slaughter carried out. They could not inform the Chapter Master, or their fellow Battle Brothers. They were not heretics, but they were not prepared to endure Inquisitorial investigation either. Sa'vael kept the revelation of the Skylus incident to himself and the Terminator Elites that had accompanied him, and hid away the tome found on the planet. The following decades saw Sa'vael and Felemoore's Terminators becoming increasingly withdrawn from the rest of the Chapter, deployments would often last longer than projected, and guidance of the Chapter's Elite to their initiates and other Battle Brothers becoming less and less present, save for the Chapter Master and First Chaplain. The Chief Librarian began to wonder deeply on how many Imperial worlds were subject to massacres similar to the one he had carried out, they seemed to blend in so easily - He wondered how he can trust who anyone was, whether they were a loyal servant of the Emperor, or a corrupted individual that needs to be purged. The Imperials being infiltrated by cults, and the looming thought of the massacre being discovered by his battle-brothers or the Inquisition caused increasing paranoia within those that had been on the planet. This increasing instability in the mental health of those marines, allowed the tome to reach out to them, playing at their fears, whispering to them, they could change everything - The cults that plague the Imperium, change the course of their destinies, and gain infinite power. These whispers lasted from mid M38 to early M39, and in such time, Sa'vael and the Spectre Company slowly began to listen. When power was offered for a second time, for the briefest moment they thought about accepting, and that was all that was needed. Each Marine that shared the thought had, in an instant, bargained away their souls to the power of Chaos, under the God of Change and Sorcerery - Tzeentch. This would prove to be the start of the most damaging war the then-Nether Host had faced. Using his position as Chief Librarian, it was not long before a significant number of the Chapter began to show more and more loyalty to Sa'vael rather than Vemeras himself. The result of this division in loyalties resulted in the Chapter Master contacting Inquisitor Kayleen of the Ordo Hereticus on suspected heresy. Malevos, accompanied by First Chaplain Athenus, lead all loyalist Marines to Sa'vael's Battle-barge the ''Melody of Fate to confront him on recent actions, as well as the 1st Company Terminators on their shifting loyalties. The confrontation was not long however - Upon coming face to face with Sa'vael, Chaplain Athenus demanded and explanation only to be struck nearly instantly by Sa'vael's psychic powers, mortally wounding the Chaplain. A short firefight broke out between the loyalists and Sa'vael's followers. Malevos' forces were able to hold off the traitors long enough for Athenus to be retrieved before escaping the ''Melody of Fate. ''Athenus said in his dying words that he felt Sa'vael and his men had fallen to Chaos, felt the whispers of Tzeentch on the vessel. Needing Athenus' spiritual Guidance, he was hurriedly placed in a Venerable Dreadnaught to carry on, and placed with what was left of the 5th Company. The next few years saw several bloody skirmishes between the Loyalist Nether Marines and Sa'vael's followers, with the latter's influence slowly working against Malevos' men until they were forced to mount a defence at Kambolas. Battle of Kambolas The remaining Nether Host loyalists and planetary PDF of Kambolas dug in, awaiting the traitor forces to arrive. They did not have to wait long as they picked up heat signatures of several Chaos Thunderhawks landing twelve miles West of the planet's Stronghold. The traitor forces took the loyalists by surprise - They were disciplined at Sa'vael's behest and were sane enough to employ tactics to stand a fighting chance, a by-product of serving Tzeentch. Sergeant Felemoore and his Terminators were among those deployed near the Stronghold, and were able to rip through the PDF allies with ease. They were stopped however when the one of the two only bridges that lead to the Stronghold was destroyed by loyalist artillery, forcing the traitors to attempt to reach the Chapter's defences via the southern bridge, an entrance that was located several miles away from their landing zone and within range of loyalist artillery and ground assaults on the moving forces. The traitor forces took heavy losses as they approached the Southern entrenchment, however what occurred next, the loyalists could never have suspected. Several of the Marines that had been stationed on the planet had fallen under Sa'vael's sway, many suspected to have been corrupted by brief exposure to Sa'vael in the past, and began tearing apart Malevos' defences from the inside, causing huge casualties for the PDF and loyalist forces, allowing Felemoore and his troops to break through to the stronghold in a bloody swathe. A week of bloody fighting ensued with both sides gaining and losing ground. Eventually on the eighth day of fighting, Sa'vael and several of his Psykers landed on the planet - Making use of new Chaotic spells they had learned during their corruption. They joined together in a group of eight, and tore open a rift in the warp to bring forth many daemons, undivided and Tzeentch-aligned alike. Furies assaulted the skies whilst Horrors blew their way through the loyalist mechanized forces and flamers set PDF soldiers aflame by the dozens. During such, Sa'vael lamented that even the Blood God Khorne would have been impressed by the scores of dead. These daemonic reinforcements did massive damage to the loyalist defenders. The same Thunderhawks that deployed Sa'vael's ground forces bombarded the stronghold and other loyalist points, quickly demolishing the defences of the planet. Near the climax of the battle, the traitor forces attempted to land more marines to the East of the Stronghold to try and wipe out the loyalists and cut off their avenue of escape. However, as a result of a distress signal being sent by the Phantoms, the Strom Crusaders -on their way to join the Crusade Abruptia- picked up the signal and were able to destroy the Chaos Thunderhawks that attempted to land on the planet, buying the loyalist forces time. Sa'vael's reinforcements destroyed, and the Strom Crusaders landing to provide aid, the loyalists began to push back the traitors slowly, eventually pushing them back far enough for the loyalists to be able to turn their artillery weapons on them once more. Many of the traitors died, even many of Felemoore's terminators. Sa'vael, for the first time in his life, gave way to a fit of rage - Resulting in him draining the lives of the seven Psykers he brought with him in order to unleash a demonic storm on the encroaching loyalist forces, utterly destroying all that got close enough until all that was left was a pile of flesh. Soon being forced to retreat to the ''Melody of Fate ''with what was left of his forces. The rift that Sa'vael had opened on the planet however, did not die down - It became unstable, and utilising the souls of the deceased, began to grow in size. The loyalist forces were forced to evacuate whilst the rift continued to grow until the planet began to crack, and was sucked into the warp via the breach in reality. In light of the Storm Crusader's aid, the 4th Assault Company was dedicated to aid the crusade Abruptia, lead by Talon-Captain Trelemann, one of the Chapter's best. Reorganisation and Subsequent Events Following the battle (and subsequent destruction) of Kambolas, the Nether Host loyalists we re-organised into the present-day Phantoms Chapter, in homage to the deaths of the battle brothers slain by the traitorous marines, the latter of which were renamed to the Scourge Knights. The Phantoms have since been busy with several battles involving Orcs, Eldar, Tau and even renegade Astartes (Not just Chaos marines). The 4th Company committed to the Crusade Abruptia however, has disappeared under unexplained circumstances when attempting to cleanse a Janarian spaceport. Despite being a 23rd Chapter, the Phantoms focused primarily on re-building after the battle of Kambolas, having been depleted to barely 200 Astartes. Sylvana and various other temporary recruiting worlds have since been set up by the Phantoms to replenish their numbers, back up to approximately 600 Astartes once more. The Phantoms assessed their ranks and practices in light of Sa'vael's betrayal, and opted to reduce the number of Librarians used and fill the gaps with an extra Chaplain. Only one Librarian is known to exist in the Chapter, the newest Chief Librarian: Arkael Soloman. High Chaplain Athenus was entombed in a Venerable Dreadnaught and placed with the 5th 'Revenant' Company. The Phantoms have also worked hard to hunt down the Scourge Knights to try and put an end to them after Sa'vael's betrayal, but in the face of the latter's ascension into a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch, Malevos faces a difficult challenge, resulting in him seeking out many allies in the Imperium in an attempt to launch a Crusade against the Scourge Knights. Sylvana (Fortress-Monastery) The planet of Sylvana is an oceanic world with multiple islands. The largest of these islands is named Vemeral, after the Chapter Master Vemeras Malevos. This island, stretching for approximately six hundred miles from the most northern point to the most southern. Located close to the south pole, the island is constantly caked in snow and ice, bar the Phantom's primary fortress on the planet. The structuring of the Fortress-Monastery aligns with other headquarters designs of other chapters, with one exception being the Armoury is connected to each Company Chapel through a series of tunnel networks in reflection of the Chapter's use of technologically advanced Chaplains replacing the use of Librarians (bar the Chief Librarian). This connection allows the Chaplains to be the first to access the armoury in the event of new weaponry or technology being built and distributed to the Chapter. Gallery Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Geneseed Category:23rd Founding